


The Not-So-Dead Agent

by LysCat



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Crossover, Developing Friendships, Getting to Know Each Other, Other, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-07-27 12:33:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16219130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LysCat/pseuds/LysCat
Summary: While out with Daisy, Phil meets two people he never thought he'd see again.





	The Not-So-Dead Agent

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm still working on multiple chapter stories, but I wanted to get something out as it's been a while.

Title: The Not-So-Dead Agent  
Author: Alysia  
Category: Crossover between Avengers and AOS. This is set after season two of AOS but before season three. The Avengers have already faced Ultron.  
Summary: While out with Daisy, Coulson sees two people from his past.  
Disclaimer: I don’t know own any characters familiar to Marvel  
Author’s Note: So this isn’t exactly a Captain Quake story, but there are one or two moments. 

“You look pretty good for a dead man.”

Upon hearing the declaration, Phil Coulson’s shoulders tensed as he mentally prepared himself to face to the sound of the voice. It was familiar enough to know that he’d heard it in the past, however, he couldn’t immediately assign a face to it. It wasn’t until he was ready to turn and acknowledge it that another voice sounded.

“He does, doesn’t he?”

His body tensed once again, only that time, he recognized the voice. Oh, this was…awkward. When he’d agreed to join Daisy on her trip to see Cal, yes, it had been in part to support her as it was her first time seeing him since he’d undergone the reprogramming; but it had also been because he couldn’t let someone else drive Lola and him not be there. He never anticipated that he would run into anyone from his previous life, let alone any Avengers.

“You know,” the second voice said pointedly, making conversation with the first man. “When Nat said she thought she found someone in passing that looked like a former dead handler of ours, I told her she was imagining things.” 

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the man turn towards his direction. 

“Guess I’ll have to apologize to her.”

“Yeah, and you know how Nat is,” the first voice chimed in. “She’ll make sure to remind you of it every chance she gets.” He turned his attention back to the agent in the red car.

“Of all the places in the world…I never thought I’d see you here,” Clint Barton spoke once again, “No, no, I never thought I’d see you again…period.”

“It isn’t…”

“Isn’t what?” Clint finished before Coulson could speak again. “Because it looks like Phil Coulson is alive after all, but that can’t be right. Because Phil Coulson would never keep such a thing from me.”

“I couldn’t say anything before, Fury-”

“Hasn’t been the Director of SHIELD in a long time,” Clint broke in. “Seriously, Phil. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“After Hydra came out and you guys disconnected yourselves publicly from the organization, I figured it would be easier if things remained that way.”

Clint shook his head. “That’s not good enough. You don’t want to tell Steve and Tony, fine.” Steve may have been Coulson’s childhood hero, but they hadn’t exactly been friends, same for Tony and Bruce and Thor. “But Nat? Me? We deserved to know.”

Coulson shook his head. “I am sorry for not saying anything, but it isn’t as if I’ve been sitting around twiddling my thumbs.”

Clint stared at his former handler, noticing that he was sitting in the passenger side of the car, his car, with one bandaged hand being supported in a sling. “Never thought I’d see the day that you let someone else drive Lola.”

Coulson nearly scoffed, wanting to tell his friend that he didn’t exactly have a choice considering he was missing a limb. However, when he spotted movement behind Hawkeye, he noticed Daisy exiting Dr. Winslow’s office. Her arms were crossed and her steps were small and he knew that she was finding it extremely difficult not to turn back around and return to the office. Using his good hand, he opened his door and stepped out, ignoring Clint and Steve for the moment, he walked past the pair without another word and approached his agent.

Steve could only shake his head at the dead man. He’d seen a lot of impossibilities in his life, he’d been a part of it. However, seeing Phil Coulson sitting in a car had thrown him through a loop. He could still remember Fury’s words as he tossed a bloody card on the table before him. He remembered how bad he’d felt upon learning of the agent’s death… As he didn’t have the same history that Clint obviously did with the not-so-dead agent, he was content to watch the conversation. He’d watched as Coulson tried to talk, obviously trying to wave away anything of consequence. However, when Coulson’s attention turned to something behind Clint, he followed the line of sight only discover a woman approaching them with her head down. 

When Coulson moved past him, Clint almost said something, however, when he noticed Phil step towards a relatively young, attractive woman he shook his head. “You, sly dog,” he voiced, loud enough for his former handler to hear him. 

Steve couldn’t deny the smile of amusement. 

The Director felt a momentary sting of embarrassment, knowing exactly what Clint thought, however, he pushed it down as he approached Daisy. “You okay?” He asked softly, gathering her attention.   
Daisy looked up from the ground and shrugged. “I don’t really know,” she admitted quietly. For so long, she’d lived with the assumption that her father was a monster. And she supposed that next to the average parent, he was. However, he’d turned himself into something that he thought his wife wanted and needed. He’d done that to find his daughter and reunite them. If Whitehall had never made a move against Jaiying,   
Daisy knew that things would have been different. 

“I’m sorry,” Coulson apologized as he pulled her into a hug. 

Returning the embrace, she closed her eyes and breathed in his comforting scent. She nodded against his neck. “I know, and it’s better than the alternative, but…”

“It isn’t the same,” he finished. “I know.”

“It’ll just take some time, is all,” she said, mostly for herself. After all, after everything that Cal had lived with and done, he deserved a life…a life he should have had twenty plus years ago. She opened her eyes but didn’t immediately pull away from him. It wasn’t until she spotted two figures standing by Lola that she finally extricated herself from his arms. “Uh, AC, is that…” she trailed off. “Hawkeye and…oh, is that Captain America standing by Lola?”

He nodded. “I know, they approached me while you were still inside.” He watched her for a moment, noticing that her gaze had yet to falter from Steve’s form. “And here I thought I was the only the only fan.”

She snorted. “You are,” she denied quickly. “Oh, but he is so pretty to look at,” she breathed. She watched as Steve rubbed the back of his neck before looking away from her general direction. “He heard me, didn’t he?”

Having seen the man’s actions, Coulson’s lips began to twitch. “Probably.”

Oh well, so what if she’d embarrassed herself in front of an Avenger? It wasn’t like they would have anything to do with SHIELD after this anyway… “Guess the secrets out, huh?” The question required no response, so instead she spoke up again. “What are you going to do?”

“What can I do?” Clint and Steve knew about him, and they’d mentioned Natasha. He knew it was only a matter of time before the rest of the Avengers knew. “Something tells me that we’ll be out a little longer than I originally anticipated, sorry.”

She shrugged. There were worst things they could be doing. 

Turning around, he placed his hand on the small of her back as the pair approached the two Avengers. “Clint, Steve, this is S- Daisy,” Phil said, quickly correcting himself. He didn’t know how long it would be before he stopped referring to her by her old name. “Agent Daisy Johnson. Daisy, I’m sure you recognize Steve Rogers and Clint Barton.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Agent Johnson,” Clint said as the pair shook hands. 

Daisy then turned to face Steve Rogers. She did her best to hide her embarrassment for previously gushing over him within hearing distance. “Hello,” she greeted in a small voice. 

“Hello, Agent Johnson,” he returned with all politeness. 

“So, Barton, would I be correct in assuming that there’s no way we’ll be able to drive off without having spoken first?” Phil asked.

“It’s like you can read my mind.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The quartet settled on a small café down the street from where Lola was parked. They’d just barely sat down when Clint started. “How are you here? I mean, how did you survive?”

“I didn’t.”

“But-”

“Hi, guys. Oh!” The waitress’ eyes widened in shock. “You’re Captain America!”

Daisy looked from Clint’s teasing face to Steve’s red cheeks. She didn’t know if she was more amused at Steve’s obvious discomfort or embarrassed for him. 

“I, normally I wouldn’t do this, but can I ask you ou-”

Taking pity on her companion, Daisy leaned over slightly and placed a hand on his jean clad thigh, ignoring the tension under her hand. “Honey, I can’t quite decide what I want more,” she said, rubbing the area as she looked over the menu. She listed off two different drink items to him. “Which one?”

“Uh, the first?” Steve asked, still uncomfortable that a woman he’d only just met was touching him so intimately. He understood she was attempting to help him out by making it seem as if they were in a relationship, but it still didn’t stop him from tensing under her touch. 

“Yeah, that does sound good,” Daisy replied simply. “Hi, Karen. I think I’ll go with his suggestion,” she told the waitress politely and with a genuinely nice smile on her face. 

“Of course,” the waitress said, her smile dimming. “What can I get the rest of you?” Everyone gave her their drink order and she excused herself. 

As soon as the woman made her way back inside, Daisy pulled her hand away from Steve’s leg. “I think I’ll do a breakfast scramble,” she said, closing her menu and setting it down. 

Steve looked from her in shock, wondering how she could continue with such a casual conversation without even acknowledging him or her actions. However, when Coulson began speaking, his mouth dropped open. 

“I was eyeing that too, but I think I’m going to go with the biscuits and gravy,” Coulson chimed in. 

Clint chuckled. “You should see the look on your face right now, Steve.”

It was then that Daisy looked over at Captain America’s alter ego and saw just what Clint meant. “I’m sorry I touched you without asking.” 

He appreciated the apology. 

“It’s just…she was flustered and star struck and if she thought there was a chance that you…we’d never be able to talk in peace,” Daisy excused. 

The four and spent the following minutes deciding on their meals so that when the waitress returned they were ready to order. When her phone rang, Daisy asked Coulson to give her order as she excused herself to answer it.

As soon as she was out of hearing shot, Clint immediately started speaking. “She’s pretty.”

“She is,” Coulson agreed easily. 

“And she’s…what? To you?” 

“My subordinate,” was the director’s quick response. He watched Clint’s facial features take on a look of skepticism. 

Steve looked from one person to another, watching the exchange. Like Clint, he’d picked up on the obvious closeness between Coulson and his agent. Coulson may have been right by calling her his subordinate, but their dynamic went far beyond that of co-workers. Agent Johnson appeared to be particularly close with Coulson and it was obvious from the short time he’d seen them interact that the sentiment was returned. However, unlike Clint, he didn’t detect even a hint of romance or attraction between the two. It reminded him of his friendship with Nat. After a certain amount of time facing life threatening situations and overcoming obstacles, a certain bond had grown, but there’d never been anything romantic in his feelings for his female teammate or vice versa. 

“Have you decided what you wanted?” Karen asked, returning with drinks. 

Once Clint finished ordering, Steve rattled off his order. “And my girlfriend would like the breakfast scramble,” he said with a polite smile remembering what she’d said to Coulson before she excused herself. When he noticed the amused expression on Clint’s face, he shrugged as Coulson placed his order.

“Just your subordinate?” Clint asked, returning to their previous conversation. 

Coulson shook his head in negative. “I didn’t say that,” he denied. 

Clint opened his mouth to reply, but Daisy’s approach stopped him. 

“Mack’s got everything under control for the time being,” Daisy said as she stepped back onto the nearly empty patio. She claimed her seat once again and put her phone away before reaching for a bottle of pills. “And here…” she pulled out a prescription bottle and handed him a pill from it. 

Not bothering to argue with her he tossed back the pill before turning back to the others. 

“What did you mean earlier when you said you didn’t survive?” 

“It means that I was not breathing after Loki stabbed me,” Coulson said dryly.

“How is that possible if you’re sitting in front of me?”

“Alien DNA.”

“Alie-”

“This would probably go faster if you didn’t interrupt after every statement,” Daisy told the Avenger. 

Coulson nodded along with her observation. “After New York, I woke up in Tahiti,” he began, recalling his earlier memories. He mentioned the blur of time between his vacation and returning to work and Fury’s order that he was to remain unknown to the Avengers. He spoke of getting his team and the ‘bus’ they’d been given. He spoke about picking up Skye and his decision to keep her own as a consultant. He glossed over a few missions, giving more emphasis on the ones that pertained to his situation. He mentioned discovering that Tahiti was actually project T.A.H.I.T.I and that he’d been dead for several days. He mentioned Daisy’s gunshots and the search for the GH-325, May’s mission under Fury’s orders, Ward’s betrayal and the fight against John Garrett and Hydra.

“You have been busy…” Clint murmured. 

“Yup, and it only gets better from there,” Daisy said just as the waitress emerged with their meals. 

It wasn’t until drinks were refilled and the food had been tucked into that Coulson started back up on his story. He spoke about new team members, sending people undercover in Hydra and the discovery that he ran the testing trials of the T.A.H.I.T.I project in the past. He spoke of the insatiable desire to carve, only to come to the realization that it led to an alien city and discovering that city. He spoke of the then head of Hydra and the race against time to beat Hydra to the city and the sudden earth quakes, Trip’s death, the city falling into ruins, discovering Lady Sif’s visit and temporary amnesia, Vintak and his discovery that Daisy was behind the earthquakes. 

“Wait,” Steve said, breaking into the conversation. “You were causing the earthquakes?” Someone had such an ability! “How?”

“Everything has a vibration and I can control and manipulate that vibration,” she said. When she noticed the confused expressions on their faces, she gave them an example. “Obviously I won’t cause an earth quake here, but maybe this will help show you.” Placing her hand over the top of her glass of water, she focused on the air above the liquid. As she raised her hand from the glass, the liquid and ice cubes followed. When both men stared transfixed at the scene, she slowly released the control as the water and ice cubes fell back into the glass. 

“That is so cool,” Clint said.

“And the aliens?” Steve asked. “How did they know to come?”

“Inside the temple, there was an item called a deviner. When it was activated, it sent a message to the Kree. Vintak was a Kree alien, he came to check everything out and to track down the person responsible for the message, knowing it meant someone had gained an ability they likely wouldn’t be able to control. Asgard monitors Earth and when they discovered that a Kree arrived, Lady Sif was sent to follow him with the intent on stopping him and sending him away, but when he told her what he was doing she agreed to help track down that person, not knowing it was me. When she saw that I willingly knocked myself out when things got to be too much for me to control, Lady Sif changed her mind on killing me and offered to take me to Asgard until I had my powers under control.” 

“You’ve obviously learned to control it since then,” Clint observed. “Did you take her up on her offer?”

She shook her head in negative. “If a human was on Asgard, wouldn’t Thor have mentioned something?” 

“We haven’t seen him or Bruce since we dealt with Ultron,” Clint denied. “How did you learn to control your powers?”

Daisy looked to Coulson wondering how much he wanted her to explain. As of yet, he hadn’t held anything back from the duo.

“It’s your ancestry, you can probably explain it better than I could,” Coulson told her.

“Thousands of years ago, the Kree came down to Earth and genetically modified a group of people granting them various powers to be used as bio-weapons. However, the Kree disappeared not long after. The people they modified passed on that particular gene to their offspring, but unless that person goes through terrigenisis, the gene remains dormant and they are Human. Those that go through the transformation refer to themselves as Inhumans.”

“Do they all have powers similar to yours?” Steve asked, completely engrossed in the conversation.

“No. I met someone that could teleport from one place to another in an instant.”

“He was fun,” Coulson chimed in sarcastically. 

“When someone goes through terrigenesis there are people called transitioners that help them learn to control their abilities. My transitioner could control and manipulate electricity. I met someone that could duplicate herself, which made fighting her a huge challenge. My mother aged much slower than everyone else. She also had the ability to absorb someone’s life force and if she did, it allowed her to heal rapidly and regress in age.”

“Absorb what?”

“Someone’s life force,” she repeated. “My mother was captured by Hydra in WWII after they discovered a deviner and the truth about Inhumans. However, before anything could happen, she was saved. The hydra scientist, Werner Reinhardt, was arrested and that was that.”

Coulson spoke up then, repeating something Cal had once told him. “Every few decades, the elders would sacrifice themselves so that Daisy’s mother could live and carry on their traditions, she inevitably became the leader and built a community for them, separate from the rest of the world.”

“In 1989, Hydra broke Werner Reinhardt out of prison, gave him a new identity and then he went back to his studies on Inhumans. He discovered that my mother was still alive and kidnapped her again. Because she looked the exact same that she did during the war, he experimented on her. He created a serum from her DNA that allowed him to regress in age before he dissected her and left her for dead.” When Coulson settled his hand over hers, she offered him a thankful smile. “After my father put her back together, she was…it was as if her heart never started beating again. She grew to hate humans.” She watched comprehension dawn in their gazes. Though nothing had been said about Jaiying’s plans yet, she knew that her companions expected the worst. 

Coulson took over the explanation from there. He explained the plan for a sit down with Jaiying and her move against Robert Gonzalez before dragging the others into it. He spoke of the destruction she’d caused to the community she’d built and her blame of SHIELD. 

“I don’t understand…” 

“The terrigen crystals won’t harm anyone with the Inhuman gene, whether they’ve transformed or not. However, if a human comes into contact with it…” She trailed off. “It will kill them.”

“Unless you have a team member willing to cut off whatever appendage that was affected first, before it has a chance to travel through the rest of your body,” Coulson finished. 

He watched both Avengers freeze as their gazes settled on the arm that he had bandaged up. 

“You…”

Coulson nodded. “Touching one is bad enough, but if one should break around humans, it will encase them and instantly kill them. In effort to keep one from breaking, I caught it before it had a chance to hit the ground.” He explained the fight against Gordon and Mack’s quick actions that saved his life.

He spoke of Jiaying’s plan to release the terrigen crystals and Daisy’s attempt to stop her by using her powers to push the quinjet full of crystals into the ocean, unknowingly tainting the fish. 

“I had no idea that it would do such a thing,” Daisy said softly, thinking on all the people that had already started transforming. 

“Of Course, you didn’t,” Coulson said quickly. “You’ll probably be seeing a lot of interesting things on tv the next few months,” he tacked on, turning to look at Clint and Steve.

“Do you need any help?” Steve asked then. 

Coulson shook his head in negative. “Actually, I think I’m good,” he said turning to look at Daisy. “I have the folder in my car, but I thought you could run a team.”

She perked up upon hearing the thought. “Run a team?” Her own team?

“A team of Inhumans, that could offer assistance to those in need of it,” he nodded. 

“And who else is part of this team?” Daisy asked. 

“Right now, just you, but…I have no doubt that you’ll be able to recruit a few people.”

From his position, Steve watched his female companion beam brightly as she considered running her own team. Though he hadn’t seen much, the fact that she was strong enough to cause earth quakes, meant that her powers were impressive and her control over them was just as so. If she managed to find a team of powered individuals, they could potentially be more powerful than the team that Fury put together. 

“You’re serious?” Daisy asked, pausing in her reflection.

Coulson tilted his head. “I am. These people are going to need all the help they can get, and you can offer that help…and let them know that there is a safe place for them if they need one.” 

She didn’t know how much help she could be teaching someone to control her powers. She’d certainly improved since she’d emerged from terrigenisis, but she knew she had a long way to go. Maybe Lincoln would be one of the first people she tracked down? He’d been such a huge help to her, both with her powers and emotionally. Then again, that would all depend on him. He hadn’t been the most helpful person since realizing that she was going to stay with SHIELD. “Maybe I could give Lincoln a call?” She asked out loud.

“Maybe,” Coulson agreed with a cheery voice. He watched her frown in response to his words and shrugged. 

“I thought you liked him?” Daisy asked with a narrowed gaze. 

Coulson nodded. He did…well enough. “I think that you may be mixing up Lincoln’s willingness to help you out, out of the goodness of his heart with his willingness to help out the attractive woman his age,” Coulson clarified, thinking on how quickly the Inhuman split when he realized that Daisy was going to stay with the team. 

Daisy opened her mouth to argue with him, but when she thought back to Lincoln’s decision to leave and his unwillingness to listen to her reason for staying, she pursed her lips. “Yeah…” she mumbled, he did have a point. “There was that one moment…” Thinking about their trip to Cal’s former office. Okay, so Lincoln was out. Hmmm. What would she do now? She missed the amused looks that Steve and Clint shot her in response to the conversation. 

“What happens to you now?” Clint asked, his attention falling on Coulson’s missing limb.

“I’ve got an excellent team that’s working on a prosthetic for me,” the director replied with much more ease than actually felt about it. Clearing his throat, he turned away from his thoughts. “And what about the two of you?” Coulson asked, turning the conversation on the Avengers. “What have you two been up to?” He watched the pair exchange a glance. 

“We told you our story,” Daisy said chiming in then when neither appeared eager to talk. “It’s only fair that you tell us yours.” Her eyes moved from Clint and settled on Steve. “Besides, we already know about Sokovia.”

“Yeah, the entire world thinks they know,” Clint replied, thinking of the council that had since been formed and the issues they’d dealt with since.

Daisy pursed her lips. “Where do you think Fury got the helicarier?” She asked. Granted, Coulson did it without anyone else knowing, but it was still SHIELD that provided it.

Steve and Clint took turns talking about Tony’s AI as well as Vision’s appearance. They spoke of the twins, their misunderstanding and following Ultron. They explained Wanda’s power and the things she’d done to their minds. They spoke of the moment the twins realized that Ultron was worse than what they were looking to right and their decision to join the Avengers. Nothing was left out as they spoke of everything that led to the culmination in Sokovia and the fallout from it.

“After that, Bruce took off in one of the pods and we haven’t heard from him since,” Steve said. “We’ve tried tracking him, but we lost him.” 

“You lost him?” Coulson asked. 

Daisy looked from Clint to Steve to Coulson. “Isn’t Stark a computer whiz?”

“He’s tried, and Nat isn’t too shabby with a computer either,” Clint replied.

“If you’d like, Skye’s an even better computer whiz than Tony and Natasha combined. I’m sure she can help you out.”

“Uh, who’s Skye?”

“That would be me,” Daisy spoke. “I grew up an orphan and I recently found my parents. Daisy Johnson was my birth name, but until I changed it, I went by Skye,” she explained quickly. “Everyone is still adjusting to the name change,” she brushed off. “And if you need help, I don’t mind lending a hand,” she replied, wanting to let them know that while Coulson may have been the one to offer her services, that she didn’t mind helping. 

“As much as we appreciate the offer, he left because he needed time to deal with things,” Clint denied easily. “Our desire to know where he is more so that we can keep an eye on him and help him should he need it.” It was all about baby steps. Coulson may have been the one in charge of SHIELD, but the group had had enough of the organization the first time around. 

Daisy looked between the pair of them. “Okay, but if you change your minds, please don’t hesitate to ask,” she said, wanting to let them know the invitation was open.

As the conversation wound down, so did their meal. Coulson dropped enough money on the table to cover their meal and tip as the quartet walked back to Lola. With Coulson and Clint leading the way, Steve and Daisy trailed behind them.

“Daisy, your offer to help Bruce,” Steve began. “I was wondering…”

She studied her companion from the corner of her eye. “Yes?”

“Given what Coulson said, you’re good with computers?”

She shrugged. “I can hold my own,” she replied modestly. 

“Do you think you could help me with something else?” He asked after a moment. “Natasha already started a search. And as much of a help as she’s been if there’s someone else out there who can do what she can, but more…if you could also-”

“Steve,” Daisy interrupted softly. “What do you need?”

He wasn’t sure what made him decide to open up to her. Other than Nat and Sam, no one else even knew that he was searching for his friend. “What do you know about the Winter Soldier?” He asked, wondering what she knew.

She thought back to the man in question. “Upper level Hydra assassin,” she replied. Honestly, she didn’t know much other than that. “Other than that, not much.” It wasn’t as if Hydra had a list lying around of all of their associates. She remembered seeing Steve square off against the Winter Soldier on various news segments, but the assassin had disappeared months ago.

“His name is Bucky Barnes,” Steve said after a moment of silence. Out of the corner of his eye he watched her steps falter. 

“Bucky Barnes?” Daisy parroted. “As in James Buchanon Barnes?” She asked, remembering the name of his best friend before his trip to the future.

Steve hesitated before nodding. How did she know Bucky’s name? Yes, people still knew about the Howling Commandos, however, other than Peggy Carter and him, most people didn’t know the names of the rest of the members. The confusion must have shown on his face because she started speaking again.

“Oh, I…I’m full of useless information like that,” she provided sheepishly. “When you thawed out, you became quite the sensation, and I may have read up on your adventures,” Daisy admitted. “I’m not a stalker or anything, I swear,” she tacked on, realizing how she sounded. She watched him smile and shake his head in response. “How is that even possible?” She asked breathlessly. 

“Hydra recovered him back in the forties. They brainwashed him and he’s been doing their bidding since. I don’t know why he still looks the same as he did back then, but it’s him.”

“And you’re sure?”

Captain America shook his head. “There are times when I think back on what happened I can see how my mind could have played tricks on me, but it was him. I’d know him anywhere,” he insisted. “And he recognized me,” Steve tacked on as an afterthought. “When we fought he could have left me for dead or even killed me, but he didn’t.” He was convinced that if it hadn’t been for Bucky’s actions, he may have died that day. 

Daisy nibbled on her bottom lip. “I assume it’s him you would like me to run a search for?”

He nodded. “I don’t think he’s in the States anymore, at least that’s what Nat was able to discern.”

“I’ll start a search, but…the reprogramming…” she sighed. “We’ve dealt with Hydra, with people having undergone the Faustus method.”

“The what method?”

“Faustus, named after the scientist who created the reprogramming. Your friend isn’t going to be the same person that he once was. Even if he manages to break completely free from the mindfuc-” she cleared her throat, remembering her companion. “Even if he manages to break free from the mind control, he may not be the same.”

He nodded. “Nat’s already warned me.”

She repeated his action. “One of the things we dealt with… Steve, if someone spends enough time undergoing that process, some memories never come back,” she warned him.

“I’m aware there’s a chance of that. But I can’t not do anything. And if the situations were reversed, I’m sure he’d do the same thing for me.” He couldn’t just leave Bucky out there by himself. If he had broken free from the mental programming, then he could be out there being hunted by Hydra, or what was left of it, with no one there to help. 

“I’m not saying I won’t do it, but just…be prepared,” she warned him. “Can I have your phone?”

He fished it out of his pocket and handed it to her, watching as she quickly plugged in whatever she was doing. After a moment, she paused, and he heard a slight buzzing sound before she hit one more button on his phone and returned it to him. 

“I assume that Clint and Coulson will be trading contact information, but just in case…” she cleared her throat. “I plugged my number in your contact list and took yours. I’ll keep you up to date on my progress.” She looked ahead and noticed that Coulson was already seated in Lola as Clint casually leaned against it, the pair trying not to look their direction. “Again, I’m really sorry if I made you uncomfortable before. It really wasn’t my intention,” she apologized once more. 

Steve scratched a ghosting itch on his temple. “You’ve most definitely made an impression,” he said.

The brunette felt her cheeks heat up with embarrassment in response. For someone that blushed because of unwanted attention, he certainly said the right things. “I’ve already gushed over you once, do you want me to do it again?” 

With a smile on his face, he shook his head in negative. “That isn’t necessary.”

She nodded. “That’s what I thought.” She hurried her pace and opened the driver side door. 

“You ever get tired of that one over there,” Clint said, appearing from the side, “you’re more than welcome to join us for however long you want,” he offered as he closed the door behind her. 

“And you wonder why I didn’t tell you I was alive,” Coulson scoffed. 

Daisy looked between the pair, her mouth twisted up in amusement.

“You do realize that once Nat finds out, you’re going to have to answer some questions, right?” Clint asked, looking back at his former handler.

“I look forward to it,” Coulson replied easily. 

After a few more parting words, the Avengers excused themselves. Daisy put the key in the ignition but didn’t turn it over. “Wow. Did that really happen?”

“It really did.”

“You okay?” She asked, giving him a side glance.

After a moment of consideration, Coulson nodded. “I really am. I guess I didn’t realize how much the potential of seeing them again was weighing on me. It’s actually a relief.”

If he was in such a good mood… “So…is this a good time to ask you if I can fly Lola?” 

“Nope,” he was quick to deny. 

~End


End file.
